Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says militants in Syria possess hazardous material, adding that all chemical weapons in the Arab country must be destroyed.
œThere are some serious concerns that the Syrian opposition may possess components of chemical weapons,” Lavrov told the press after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
œAll chemical weapons must be destroyed in Syria including hazardous materials in possession of the opposition,” Interfax quoted Lavrov as saying.
The Russian foreign minister also touched upon Syria™s commitment to destroy its chemical weapons arsenal.
“We are proceeding based on facts. And the facts are that the Syrian government has signed the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, immediately expressed its willingness to meet its obligations under this document and provided a declaration to the (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) OPCW on their stockpiles of chemical weapons and their locations,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.
On September 9, Russia offered a proposal to put Syrian chemical weapons under international supervision in order to avoid US military strikes.
On September 14, Kerry and his Russian counterpart agreed on the deal and Damascus also accepted the plan.
On September 17, Lavrov stated that the resolution that the UN Security Council will adopt on Syria will not refer to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter that regulates the use of military force.
The war rhetoric against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
Damascus has vehemently denied the accusations, saying the attack was carried out by the militants themselves as a false-flag operation.
IA/PR
Copyright: Press TV